The profiles for the rest of the race don't look very promising. Today in theory was the hardest finish, but everyone (pretty much) except Pelucchi made it.

Stage 6 has a finishing circuit in Oyem where a short climb could provide a springboard for an attack. Last year Nocentini won solo there. The Libreville circuit on stage 7 has also seen attacking racing in the past.

But it is slim pickings, that's true. It could well end up with seven mass sprints and the GC being decided by bonus seconds ... or there's a breakaway one day that gets to the finish several minutes ahead of the peloton when we least expect it.

New Irish team EvoPro have won both of their first two races (and have a stage win as well) in New Zealand, with 2 New Zealanders: Luke Mudgway in Gravel and Tar, and Aaron Gates with a stage and the overall win in the NZ Cycle Classic.

OK it is not a full stage but I am very glad our x-U23 , Kristoffer Halvorsen, finally got himself a pro win and that it happened in Austrailia, after crashing last year in the People's choice classic and missing out on all the races. As this also happened in a criterium, I consider the curse as lifted from his shoulders .Time to get on with the rest, Doffen

This also gave me the chance of using the FirstCycling results embed feature here for the first time for real.

Spring is (almost) here and Le Coq is strutting his stuff. Desperate for an invitation to the Tour in 2019 after last year's snub, needs to impress and fast. As does the man himself after a forgettable season.

Yeah the route was changed due to flooded and impassable roads in the hilly loop they were initially going to do. Antalya was a bit wet last year as well I remember. Not the weather they want to show the area off as a possible training location for teams.

Yeah the route was changed due to flooded and impassable roads in the hilly loop they were initially going to do. Antalya was a bit wet last year as well I remember. Not the weather they want to show the area off as a possible training location for teams.

Spring weather in this part of the world is rainy, and it can rain a lot in a short time. It is not like the pictures you see in tourist brochures. The "tour of Rhodes", another early-season-warmup race, is also affected by the occasional torrential rainfall. Rule of thumb is to wait till after easter for the better weather, but it is give or take a week or two. I think once these races get a few years running, northern europe conti- and pro-conti team will see the western mediterranean as a better area for early season races and training.